Love, May it Rest in Peace
by lynxzpanther
Summary: Born of Tigger and Piglet and Winnie the Pooh! Sirius likes Rem and no one knows... yet. Not really sure how to explain it... but read if you're interested in how Winnie the Pooh can inspire slash!
1. Tigger and Piglet

**M'kay, this is for my friend Matt, 'cause I promised. It's probably going to be short, and I'll try to update quickly.**

**Warning: Sirius/Rem fic. Sorry, it's all slashy. Not your cup of tea? Do what I do- drink coffee. =P**

**Disclaimer: I've wished on every star, but I'm not JK... so I don't own 'em. =)

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Remus glared at the large, shaggy black dog that had just tackled him to the ground. Its rather heavy weight was making it hard for him to breathe, but the dog only stood up (only four points of immense pain instead of a general squishing weight that he couldn't breathe under- which was better?) and happily wagged its tail. Its big gray eyes danced with something akin to laughter and mischief as it licked the boy pinned under it.

"You know that's disgusting, right, Padfoot?" Remus whined as he shoved the dog off and sat up.

Suddenly it was not a dog but one of his three best friends sitting next to him. "But it was _fun!" _he insisted as if that explained everything. To him, Remus reflected, it probably did.

"You enjoy that form far too much, Sirius," Remus told him with a sigh.

Sirius grinned easily and shrugged. "Why wouldn't I? I get to be lazy all the time."

"You already are lazy all the time."

"True," Sirius conceded, "but being a dog gives me an excuse to be!"

"Fine, but why do you always insist on jumping onto _me?" _Remus complained.

Sirius seemed to consider the question for a while. "You make a funny face when you're annoyed with me." Remus started to protest that that _couldn't_be the full answer because it had taken Sirius nearly half a minute to come up with it, but Sirius only cut him off. "Come on, Rem, we're late for class." He hopped to his feet and raced off calling behind him in a sing-song tone, "Moony's going to be late! Moony's going to be late!"

Remus sighed as he gathered his books and headed off after his hyperactive best friend. "Bloody Padfoot," he muttered and rolled his eyes as the song continued to drift back to him. But he couldn't stop himself from grinning, too, as he wiped the last of the doggy slobber off of his face.

* * *

James and Sirius sat alone in the Gryffindor common room later that night. Remus had gone off to the hospital wing and then to the Whomping Willow to wait for his transformation later that night. Peter had gone off to the library to try to find a book for his arithmancy class (one that they were all amazed to find he was actually _good _at, all by himself!) and, Sirius suspected, to avoid the tense atmosphere between the two boys. They had, once again, procrastinated all of their week long projects and were now valiantly struggling on a Thursday night to finish them before Friday classes.

Though in all honesty, James wasn't really working on his projects as much as he should be. He seemed quite distracted and kept staring at Sirius until, finally, Sirius set his quill down on top of his parchment and met James' stare. "What's up, mate?" He noticed James' expression and smirked. "You look like you swallowed a couple of pygmy puffs and they're attempting to colonize your intestines."

James' expression briefly scrunched up in disgust, his nose wrinkling as he protested, "That's disgusting!"

Sirius grinned and shrugged before becoming serious once more. "Really, though, what is it?"

James shifted around awkwardly for a moment. "I was just... I've kinda been wondering lately..." He trailed off, looking uncertain.

"Yes...?"

"Are you gay?" James blurted out. He looked horrified a moment later, but resolved. He wanted an answer- that much was clear.

Sirius was surprised by this random outburst. Since when had James been observant? Nonetheless, Sirius didn't think it would be hard to throw him off track. "Really, James? You do realize that I've dated most of the girls in this castle that are anywhere _near_ our age?"

"Well, yeah," James admitted, "I think there were even a couple Slytherins in there somewhere..." He shuddered and Sirius smiled proudly. Those two girls had made it nearly impossible for him to win their affections, but in the end they couldn't resist. So far, no girl had been able to... "But," James continued after a moment, "that's part of the reason. You never seemed to really _care _about any of them. It always seemed more like a game to you."

"Hey, they were all alright."

"Yeah, as friends, and even that was a stretch. Right?"

"Well..." Sirius trailed off, staring at James. "Why do you want to know?"

James ran a hand through his hair, the only sign left that the situation was so incredibly uncomfortable for him. "Blimey, mate, you're my best friend. I'm only wondering. It's kind of a big thing; it's the kind of thing you're supposed to tell me."

Sirius looked away from James and down at his paragraph. "Just say that maybe I was," he said carefully. "What would you think?"

He could see James shrug on the edge of his vision. "That you're the same old Padfoot as always. You're my best friend, mate." He sighed briefly. "So you _are _then?"

"Sort of," Sirius admitted. "Not entirely. It's complicated." He looked up and met James' eyes again. He could see that James understood the full extent of complications, but neither of them was going to approach that subject just yet. Instead, Sirius felt his eyes drawn to the rising full moon outside. "Think we should give up on this junk and go help Moony out? This will be a rough one: first moon back to school."

James nodded, looking exhausted. "Yeah. Let's go track down Pete."

* * *

Though his pack was there, the first moon of the school year was always the worst and Remus was confined to the hospital wing for all of Friday and most of Saturday to rest up and heal. Madam Pomfrey kept a close eye on him and refused to let visitors (the Marauders) in until he was healed. She claimed that they would "disturb his much needed rest".

He was let out just in time for dinner and all four boys were full of pent up energy because they'd just finished the first week of school. They spent the follow few hours being wild and acting much more childish than Lily approved of (much to James' dismay) and by the time they fell onto their beds in the dorm they were exhausted. Remus had almost fallen asleep when a warm weight bounced onto the end of his bed. As James and Peter were both snoring quietly in their quarters of the room he had to assume that it was Sirius. A doggy snuffle at his ear a moment later confirmed his guess.

"Ger'off Padfoot," he muttered sleepily. "I'm tired," he attempted to say around a jaw splitting yawn.

"But my bed is _cold!" _Sirius whined, having turned back into a boy so that he could squirm under Remus' red and gold covers. "Please Rem?" His pleading puppy eyes were just barely visible to Remus in the dark.

He sighed. "Fine, Padfoot- just this once." He told himself that he was only agreeing because he wanted to sleep, not argue. And besides, it _was _a very cold night despite how early in the autumn it was. "Now go to sleep."

"M'kay Remy," Sirius agreed, burrowing closer to Remus' warmth. "Nighty night!"

Remus rolled his eyes and smiled wearily. "Goodnight, Sirius." Both boys fell asleep warm and content.

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**Kk, if ya check my best friend Lmedora's profile, she makes me sound like a pedophile for creating this story based on Winnie the Pooh... so, for the record, I am not. I love little kids and they tend to love me. I'd been looking for inspiration, and it just seemed like something Sirius and Remus would do. =) Just, for the record.**

**It was meant to be a one shot, so it'll probably be short, but it seemed like it was meant to be a short series... ~shrug~ Who am I to doubt the Muse? =) Much love! Please review, tell me what you thought...**


	2. Wolves, Odysseus, and Romeo and Juliet

**Ok, so, this chapter took way too long to put up. So sorry. I had two competitions two weekends in a row and did not expect them to take up **_**that much **_**of my time. And, ya know, the lack of reviews might have been some part of the source of little inspiration. =) So, thank you to FlameintheFlood for reviewing! You made me very happy. Thanks also to everyone who alerted it- it's nice to know some people read it.**

**M'kay, this chapter was beta'd because my boyfriend decided to read the story (0.o) and I figured I'd make him be useful. =) Love you!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own them. Oh well. =P

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When Sirius opened his eyes the next morning he immediately noticed two things: the abundance of light and the silence. The degree of light filtering through the bed-curtains told him quite clearly that breakfast in the Great Hall had long started and would soon be over. The silence told him that there was _no _way any other teenage boys were conscious in their dorm. He pushed aside the curtains and, sure enough, both James and Peter had already left.

He glanced down at Remus, who was still sleeping. Really, this was worth being late for, because the little werewolf had unintentionally cuddled closer to Sirius' offered warmth as he slept. Though he hadn't meant to, it still gave Sirius a thrill. Still, he wished that he _had _decided to lie to James about his homosexuality. If James hadn't know that Sirius was gay, he would have woken them up with good natured teasing and forgotten the entire incident. Now James wouldn't likely let it go, Sirius would have to find some way to explain the now-awkward situation to Remus, and they just might miss breakfast.

Sirius Black was not often a generous person if he missed his most important meal of the day.

He poked Remus. "Moony, wakey wakey! We're late for breakfast!"

Rem opened his eyes slowly and blinked, looking around. "Where are James and Pete?" he asked sleepily.

"They already went down to breakfast. Come on, Remy, _food!" _Sirius whined.

"Alright, alright," Remus agreed with a small laugh. "I'm up."

Five minutes later they were headed out the portrait hole and down to the Great Hall.

* * *

The truth was that Remus didn't really want to eat breakfast. His stomach was unsettled and his head was pounding. He was sure that he had a high fever, but he had only just escaped the hospital wing and he really didn't want to go back.

He stumbled and bumped into the wall for the fourth time and Sirius stopped him with a hand on his arm. "You ok, Rem?" he asked, a slightly worried look on his face.

"What?" Remus focused on the words, quickly replaying them in his head until his muddled mind understood them. "I'm fine."

Sirius frowned a little and shook his long hair away from his eyes. He didn't seem at all reassured. "You look terrible, Rem," he observed. He reached out to feel Remus' forehead and Rem quickly jumped away. He swallowed guiltily at the flash of hurt in Sirius' expression as he pulled his hand back.

"I'm ok, really," Remus promised calmly. "Just a bit dizzy."

"Why're you dizzy?" Sirius asked, the frown increasing.

"Blood loss," Remus offered. "It was a pretty bad moon, you know."

Sirius was still frowning. "Maybe you should just... take the day off?"

Rem rolled his eyes and then regretted it as it only served to make his head pound a little harder. "It's Saturday, Siri. I _do _have the day off."

"No homework," Sirius decided, seeming to brighten up at the prospect.

"I can't; I'll fall behind." But his protest was half-hearted at best. He counted on Sirius not noticing, though, as they had just reached the picture of the bowl of fruit. As he ducked inside the kitchen the smell of food made his stomach knot up, but he ate a piece of toast anyways. For once, Remus was thankful that he rarely had much of a morning appetite, anyways. Sirius; however, never had that problem. Even now the amount of food he was shoveling down served to make Remus want to puke up the few bites of toast he'd eaten. A werewolf's metabolism was intense, requiring that he eat frequently and that he eat _a lot_ at every meal. And yet, somehow, Sirius always ate more.

It really didn't seem fair that Sirius was so good looking. Any person that ate more than Peter _should_ at least have to share the poor chubby boy's fate, Remus reasoned, but fortune seemed to smile on Sirius in this respect.

Eventually Sirius was done and the two Gryffindors headed back to their common room to find their friends. Remus was carefully watching where he placed each foot so that he wouldn't stumble into walls again, but he knew Sirius was watching him carefully anyways. The first thing they saw as they entered the common room was James' worried face. "Where have you been?"

Sirius laughed. "Breakfast."

James glared. "We were _at _breakfast. You never showed up."

"Rem wasn't feeling well," Sirius told him. "We ate in the kitchen. It was closer."

James glared for a moment longer before giving up and turning to Remus. He cocked his head, messing up his hair even more and causing his glasses to slide to the end of his nose. "Feeling better?"

Remus shrugged. "I'm fine. Just a little dizzy, you know?" James began to take on the worried look that Sirius had worn half an hour previously and Remus hurried to add, "It's the weekend, James. I'll rest up."

James gave him the same frowning look before shrugging. "Fine, fine."

Sirius quickly reclaimed James' attention. "Where's Pete?"

James smiled, half fond and half wicked. "Asking out that Hufflepuff girl he's had his eye on lately."

Sirius laughed. "Any chance she'll say yes?"

The three friends took up chairs in the corner of the room. Remus closed his eyes, listening to the banter and wager between his two friends as they discussed Peter's chances of wooing his girl. Bets were placed, contracts signed (these were required when "I don't remember agreeing to that!" became a frequent excuse to get out of paying up), and the two moved on to new topics. Remus sighed. Even feeling this bad, he was glad to have a day off.

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Remus went to sleep early that night as the other three were engaged in a game of Exploding Snap. "What was up with Rem all day?" Pete asked distractedly. He was carefully placing his card on the pile, hoping that it wouldn't explode in his face. It already had twice that night- it was just his luck.

"He wasn't feeling well this morning," James said with a shrug, adding his own card with confidence. It rarely blew up on James, and he didn't mind much. He and Sirius saw loud bangs and random items exploding as a good thing, unlike Peter and Remus.

Sirius added his card silently, deep in thought.

"Sirius?" James asked.

"What?" he said, his eyes coming back to the present.

"What was up with Rem all day?"

Sirius shrugged, watching Peter drop his card fearfully. Nothing happened. "Ask him- I don't know."

"You do watch him more closely than us, though," Peter pointed out as James dropped his card as well, still focused on Sirius.

Sirius sighed. "He probably just wasn't feeling himself. Hard moon and all, he was probably just a bit sick."

"And you _didn't_ send him back to Pomphrey?" James asked him incredulously.

"He didn't want to tell us what was wrong," Sirius reminded James. "He probably didn't want to go back. He _hates _it there."

"He's never said that," Peter piped up. Sirius had lost track of the turns, playing on instinct, but it was once again Peter's card that was being placed on the growing pile. "When'd he tell you?"

"He didn't," Sirius told them. "I just knew- it was obvious."

James shook his head. "Only to you." They both dropped their cards on the pile.

Peter place his card down, finally seeming less worried about the chances of the cards exploding. The pile blew up in his face and the other two marauders burst out laughing, their conversation forgotten as a scorched Pete looked a combination of indignant and resigned.

"S'all right Wormtail," Sirius said, patting him on the back as he laughed.

"Better luck next time," James agreed. His glasses were hanging crooked from his laughing fit and he pushed them back into place. "Anyone up for another game?"

The three went at it again, playing long into the night. They slipped quietly into their dormitory later that night, their fourth marauder long asleep. A tiny sliver of the crescent moon watched over the boys in the peaceful dorm. The only sound was the whisper of the four boys breathing.

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**There you go! I already started the next chapter (in my head, but it's there) and the next update should not take as long. =) Much luvs to anyone who is still reading this, or reading it for the first time. Review? They're way appreciated.**


	3. Boyfriends and Balcony Speeches

**I actually got this written in a week! I've gotta say that I'm just a little proud- that must be something of a record for me. =) Plus, this is one of my longer chapters. =) If you hadn't noticed, the story is pretty much named after everything that's inspired me: the title is a quote from a best friend, the chapters are whatever got me writing each scene. =) Not my most creative, I must admit, but it's fun for me to keep track of. Oh, and thanks to my boyfriend for continuing to beta. He must be the most supportive person in my life. ~heart~**

**M'kay, this one is dedicated to Just Briana for actually reviewing! You made me very happy. =)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own them... still. Oh well. =)

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A week later Sirius and James were in the same situation they'd been in the week before: at a table with various texts around them, struggling once again to surmount the pile of homework that had been gathering through the week.

"Sirius, you've been avoiding me all week; we need to have this talk." Sirius froze mid-sentence in his essay and began to gather up his things. James was ready to approach the "complicated" part of his situation that they'd left alone the previous week. Sirius wasn't. If avoiding this discussion meant forfeiting some homework, well, so be it. He'd take all of Rem's and McGonagall's lectures if he had to.

James, however, didn't give up easily. "Sirius, don't you _dare_ run off! For one, I'll only follow you, and second, I've had enough tact to wait all week to bring this up. Moony and Wormtail are off studying- you know there won't be a better time." James paused, but Sirius continued to gather his things. "I'm done waiting. I'll bring it up even if they are around. You decide." It wasn't an empty threat, that much was clear. Though most didn't know it, James possessed a lot of patience. Anyone that was friends with Sirius Black needed to if they wanted to retain their sanity. It seemed that James' large supply of patience with him was used up, and nothing would stop him from getting the answers he wanted.

Sirius realized that there was something even worse than discussing this now, with _James. _If he was forced to discuss this in front of all of them... Sirius sighed and dropped his bag, slumping in the seat opposite his best mate. "Alright," he agreed dismally, "let's have it out then."

Now that he'd reached his goal, James didn't seem to know what to do. He opened and closed his mouth a couple times like a gaping fish. Sirius only watched warily, sure that at some point James would figure out what to say. But he didn't. Finally James slumped down, resigned as well, and sighed. "I don't know what to say, Sirius. Just explain yourself your own way, then."

Sirius shrugged. "Not much to explain. I was cold. You lot were asleep. You're the one making a big deal of it."

James winced. "You know that's not it, Siri. It's just different now..."

"Now what? Now that you know I'm gay?" Sirius questioned curiously. His tone wasn't angry, but James winced anyways at the question that he took as an accusation. A guilty look entered his eyes, but he didn't back down.

"Maybe, Sirius; that could be it. I don't think it is though. You're just..." He ran his hand through his hair nervously. "You're different with Rem. I knew it last week, before that happened, and I'm sure of it now. Do you..." James sighed, giving up on the question as he watched Sirius. Sirius remained passive, becoming increasingly amused at the growing agitation James showed. "Damn it, Sirius, answer me!"

Sirius laughed. "Prongs, you have to ask a question before I can answer it. Surely you remember that, mate?"

James leveled a glare at him. "Fine. Do you love Remus?"

Sirius froze. This was his deepest secret. Deeper than the one he'd let out to James last week. _No one could know it. _He sighed, wilting under James glare. James sighed, letting his eyes drop to the table. He looked back a Sirius and gave a half smile. "I don't know what you're afraid of- I won't tell. You know that."

Sirius nodded, but otherwise he didn't respond. His insides twisted as he realized the full extent of what it meant to have James know what a mess he was in. He had only just gotten used to it, really- more used to avoiding the issue that acknowledging it, if he told the truth.

"I think I'll head up to the dorms now, if you don't mind," Sirius told James miserably. James nodded, looking only a shade more consoled than Sirius himself.

"Sleep tight, mate."

Sirius knew the level of his pity. He didn't care; it didn't help. He was stuck in this mess until Remus either found out and blew up, or found out and accepted it. Either way, he wasn't as eager for it to be resolved as he maybe should have been...

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James waited an hour or so before going up to check on Sirius. Normally he'd leave the other boy alone with his drama, but he'd look pretty wretched, and James wouldn't be a proper best mate if he didn't at least check in once before the other Marauders returned. It was almost curfew, after all.

Sirius wasn't asleep- or even pretending to be asleep- when James entered the dorm. He was laying on his bed, the curtains un-drawn, and staring up at the ceiling woefully. If the situation hadn't been about Remus, James would have laughed at the love-sick puppy look on his best friend's face. As it was, he was beginning to feel a bit woozy with the knowledge himself. How did Sirius get himself into these messes?

"What do I do, Jamie?" Sirius asked, rolling on his side to stare at James. His eyes were wide and, for once, without humor. James _hated _the nickname the others had come up with for him, but Sirius looked like too much of a lost puppy for him to care.

"Hm..." James sat down on his bed and stared at the wood floor. "I think you should tell him."

Sirius shot up like a rocket. "You can't be serious!"

"Well," James started, but he didn't follow through with the long worn out joke. "Maybe not all of it. Not the parts about you being... ya know... in _love_with him or anything." James shuddered slightly at the oddness of saying that. "But maybe about the being gay part, huh? Just to see what he says? After all, it's a small thing to hate you over and Moony's a better friend than that. This way you can sort of gauge how he'd react to... the rest of it." James winced once again at having to say this. He was trying to set up his two best friends. How terribly awkward...

"But..." Sirius' terrified voice cut into his musings. "What if he _does _hate me for it? What then, James?"

James sighed. "Honestly?" He waited until Sirius nodded. "I don't know. But you'll never know either unless you tell him. It's not even the big secret. It's just the little one. But hey," James said, standing up again, "it's your choice." He paused in the doorway of the dorm. "Coming down? Rem'll be angry if you don't finish your work." Sirius seemed to consider it before shaking his head.

"Nah," he said, waving a hand absently. "Go play chess with Pete or something. I'll be fine."

"If you're sure," James relented, heading back downstairs. He was only a fifteen year old boy, after all. He didn't yet possess wisdom when dealing with matters of the heart.

* * *

Remus was spending his quiet Saturday afternoon reading. He rarely ever had time to, between schoolwork and friends, and it was refreshing to have a peaceful moment. He was all too aware that sooner or later it would be ended, probably quite vibrantly.

Sure enough, he heard pounding footsteps on the stairs. Remus didn't know if it was a wolf sense or just a quirk, but he could tell the difference between each of the separate Marauder's steps. The person currently running up towards the dorms was Sirius.

Remus halfheartedly watched the words on the page, knowing the book was soon to be taken from him, and counted down in his head. When he reach two down from ten the book was plucked away and he looked calmly up at Sirius. "What's this Remie?" Sirius was bouncing up and down on his heels, looking like a hyperactive four year old.

"It's a book, Siri. I know you and James have an aversion towards the library, but _surely_ you know that."

Sirius didn't answer. Instead he opened the book and began to read: "'O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?'- Romeo? Sounds a bit like your name, Remie," he commented, before resuming quickly where he'd left off. " 'Deny thy father and refuse thy name! Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I'll no longer be a Capulet.'" Remus fully expected him to stop, but Sirius plundered on. Remus was secretly impressed that Sirius could read straight through the lines, not stumbling over a single word- Shakespearean language was complicated. " 'Tis but thy name that is my enemy! Thou are thyself, but not a Montague. What's Montague? It is not hand, nor foot, nor arm, nor face, nor any other part belonging to a man! O, be some other name! What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. So Romeo would, were he not Romeo called, retain that dear perfection which he owes without the title! O Romeo, doff thy name, and for that which is no part of thee..." Sirius paused slightly as he looked at the last few words and seemed to become a bit more somber. He smiled softly as he said them, less mocking drama in his tone, " '...take all myself.' "

Sirius tossed the book back at Remus who deftly caught it and tucked in safely under his pillow. Sirius then flopped down on the end of Remus' bed and grinned, carefree once more. "That was pretty, Remie; what is it?"

"Just an old muggle story," Remus told him. "I found it last time I was home. It seems that it's quite popular with them- part of their schoolwork and everything."

"What's it about?" Sirius asked curiously. Rem was surprised at the interest Sirius was showing: he _never _read books. It was like an unspoken rule of Sirius' world. It just _didn't _get broken.

"It's about a young couple who fall in love. I'm not through with it yet. If you'd like, you can read it when I finish," Remus offered, not expecting Sirius to take him up on his offer.

"M'kay, Remie," Sirius agreed, rolling off the bed. He either didn't see or ignored Rem's look of shock. "It's nice out; you shouldn't be holed up reading in the dorms. Bring your book outside if you must, James and I want to _do _something."

"You always want to do something, Sirius," Remus argued halfheartedly. He was already picking up his book and following the other boy out of the room.

"So? Don't you _ever _get bored, Remie? Doesn't the quiet ever scare you?"  
"No," Remus told him honestly. "When I get bored, I read." Sirius sighed and poked him. "Ow, what was that for!"

"You need to have more fun," Sirius informed him somberly. "Starting now. Race you!"

Sirius took off madly racing through the hallways and Rem was forced to rush off to catch up. "Sirius!" He yelled after him. "I don't know where we're going, how can I win?"

Sirius laughed. "Guess you'll guess have to lose with grace, then."

Remus tried to fight back a smile and failed. Lose? Never. He'd just have to reset the destination a little was all. Quicker than Sirius could fully see Rem raced off and the chase ensued. Poor _Romeo and Juliet _lay forgotten for the moment on one of the couches in the Common Room as the two happy boys left it behind.

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**Not sure what it is about me, English class, and this story, but when I began memorizing my Juliet balcony speech this just popped into my head. =) I loved it.**

**Please review? You'll make me quite happy. ^.^**


	4. Large Books and Vocabulary Words

**So sorry that it's been a month- but I made sure to write this and get it up TODAY. =) Much luvs. I'll keep this short, but at least I'll add that I did put up a little Siri/Rem fic in between this and my last update. =)**

**Disclaimer: Don't own it.

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Remus left the library just before curfew one night later that week. He'd stayed late to work on a Charms essay due in a couple days- James and Sirius were procrastinating as always and Peter had all but given up when he'd realized how complex the concept was- but Remus was now finished and satisfied with his work. He had a large book in his hands and his mind was far away in a place James fondly referred to as "bookworld", so Rem was oblivious to the hush that had fallen over the castle in the late hour.

Walking the halls this late at night was So _never _advised. Dangerous persons lurked around dark corners, always read to harm, and even heading back to one's common room alone was a risk; for a Marauder to walk alone, it was nearly deadly.

When Remus finally looked up he realized that he had no genuine idea where he was. Looking around for a moment, he realized that he'd taken a wrong turn some ways back and was now in the dungeons. He was relieved no one seemed to be around: it was that rare in between time. No one good was still wandering at this hour (save his own naive self), but the more sinister teens hadn't quite come out into the open yet. He thanked his overly-developed self conscious brain for automatically memorizing his route and got his bearings, hurrying as he retraced his steps to the wrong turn. He wanted to get out of the dungeons as soon as possible, hoping his luck held out for just a few more minutes. It didn't.

He spotted someone headed his direction, but it was too late to duck into an alcove to hide. As he slowed his steps he searched his mind for any secret passages that the Marauders knew of in this general area, but they didn't habit the dungeons frequently and he couldn't remember a single one. With a sigh Remus recognized the person approaching. "Severus," he greeted politely. He made an attempt to walk around the Slytherin, but Snape easily blocked his way.

"Lupin," he greeted icily. Remus caught the thinly veiled fear underlying Snape's tone and hoped that it meant he wouldn't try to take him on in a duel. Snape was as intelligent as he was; Remus wasn't sure who would win. He didn't want to risk it. Snape seemed to be thinking along the same lines as he next spoke. "What, no boyfriend to protect you? Though I suppose he's to arrogant to go within ten meters of the library even on a good day, huh?" He sneered, but Remus ignored the malice in his confusion.

"Boyfriend? I'm not sure what you're talking about. I'm not even gay."

Snape smirked. "It's not like I don't know; there's no reason for you to pretend." He waited, but after a few moments he seemed to realize that Remus's confusion was genuine.

Snape smirked. "Play dumb all you want, Lupin, but I know the truth." He waited for a moment, but seemed to realize that the confusion on Remus' face was genuine. "Are you really _that_ naive, Lupin? I'd thought that someone of your intelligence... but I suppose the lycanthopy must have dulled your wit." He glared as if challenging Remus, but Rem just shrugged indifferently.

"It's possible, I suppose, though I don't believe many have gotten close enough to a werewolf to study it." His eyes narrowed. "As for the rest of it, are you going to bloody tell me what you're talking about, or are you planning on talking in circles all night?"

Snape rolled his eyes. "The blood traitor, Lupin. I've never seen two teenages so infatuated with each other. You two are _all over_ each other all the time. You think I haven't seen the looks?" He shook his head. "If you don't believe me, ask him. I'm never wrong." Snape gazed down the corridor past Remus and stepped around him, heading off. "You should hurry off," he advised, not bothering to turn back or stop walking as he talked. "The others will be out hunting soon." A chill of fear returned and Remus heeded the advise, hurrying off once more.

As he walked he thought back over the conversation. Snape hadn't attempted to hex him, even behind his back. Maybe this meant that there would be a level of civility between their exchanges. They hadn't ever been necessarily friends, but they'd never hated each other, either. Not like Sirius and James hated Severus and vice versa. They'd both been friends with Lily; therefore, they'd known each other were off limits as targets. Remus had even hidden Snape's friendship with Lily as a favor to the boy, knowing that would only make the animosity between the two that much stronger. That arrangement had _entirely_ changed after what the Marauders had dubbed The Prank. Remus shuddered- he hated thinking of that time. It was an unspoken agreement that it was left in the past, and they hexed anyone who brought up the month during which the Marauders had been shattered and didn't talk to one another. Now that Snape knew he was a werewolf, he _hated_ Remus. He let go of no opportunity to attack the boy- with words, with punches, or with spells. That was, until now. Maybe things would never be like they'd been before, but maybe they could come close.

Remus then considered the conversation itself. What was with the accusations? Remus was fairly sure that he _wasn't _gay, and if Sirius' multitude of girlfriends and one night stands didn't attest to his innocence in this instance, Remus didn't know what could. With a shrug he shoved the conversation to the back of the mind. He reached his common room and headed inside to the safety of his circle of friends.

* * *

A full week later, Remus was having a problem. For this, he had no clue who to go to. Peter was good for the shorter term advice- how to apologize to any given Marauder for an argument, what kind of present to get which kind of girlfriend, and all of those sort of things. This problem, Remus decided, was much more than a short term problem. It had the potential to be a _very _long lasting problem, and having Pete screw it up (even with the best of intentions) would be a major mistake. Normally, that meant he would ask Sirius for help, but... Remus couldn't tell him this.

That left James.

It took a while, but finally he managed to catch James alone. Pete was off stalking the girl he had a crush on and Sirius was God knew where, doing only God knew what. "Hey, James? Do you have a minute?"

James looked up from his Quiddich magazine and smiled at him. "Sure, Rem, what's up?"

Remus flopped back on his bed, staring up at the canvas top above him. "I've been having this issue..."

"Yeah?" James prodded. Rem glanced over to see that he'd sat up and leaned forward. He magazine was now closed in his lap and he looked quite interested in what Rem was saying. Taking that as encouragement, Remus went on.

"See, I ran into Snape last week in the dungeons."

"_Snape?"_ James' tone was vicious and flat all at once with this mention of the boy he hated- possibly the only person James had ever hated, what with that big and all-forgiving heart of his.

"Yeah. He didn't... attack me or anything. He just said some odd things."

"What kind of odd things?" James asked, looking both suspicious and concerned.

"Well..." Rem shifted awkwardly. "He kinda suggested that me and Sirius were... gay. And had a thing for each other."

James was silent for a moment. "He's a git, Moony. You don't need to listen to a word he says."

"I know," Remus assured him quickly. "But... I've started looking... and it seems like he might be right. Sometimes, the way Siri acts..." Remus trailed off for a moment, unsure. "I'm not saying anything about him, but sometimes I feel like..." Remus gave up on words. "James?"

James sighed. "Look, Remus, I'm hardly the person to explain love. I've been in love with the same girl since I was eleven, and she won't even give me a second glance. Just be really sure of whatever you're feeling before you act on it, and don't shove your true feelings away, okay?" James sighed, stood up, and stretched. He glanced out the window and a faint, less troubled smile returned to grace his features. "I'm gonna go flying before it gets dark. See you later, Rem."

"See you, James. Thanks for listening."

"Sure," James shrugged. "Think about what I said." With that, he was gone.

And Remus was just as confused as ever.

* * *

James flew around the Quiddich pitch. It was well after dark, but he'd yet to notice. Something about flying made all of their worries seem so much more manageable.

Remus' newest worry, however, would take some sorting through. So he might just return Sirius' feelings? James had been positive that it was possible, but deep down he hadn't quite expected it to work. Sirius was his best mate, but even with the chance to nudge Remus in his direction, it had seemed wrong. Remus was too good- too innocent, too nice- to be forced into _anything, _much less such a complicated relationship with someone who James had to admit had a tendency to be incredibly flighty. James sighed. No, he wouldn't tell Sirius about this newest development yet. He'd restrain himself to watching them even more closely than he already did and trying to figure them out.

Then again, maybe he needed fresh eyes on this case... someone with an unbiased- or simply _less_ biased opinion. And if Severus Snape had been able to see it, then James knew the _perfect _person to enlist for help.

* * *

**Wow, so, that last paragraph totally popped into my head just as I wrote it. Is that a cliffie? I suppose it just might qualify, wow! Well, it'll hopefully be enough to get me to update soon. =) Luv ya all! If you read this far, think you could take a couple extra seconds to review? It'd make my day! ~Lynx**


	5. Buddy Time!

**Hi! Sorry it's been a while, but under two weeks! For me, that's actually... pretty good. Thank my buddies FlameintheFlood and Liebedance for their update of their story- I try to keep up with their updates, 'cause they're fairly consistent. And, actually, if you haven't read their story, Kin and Kisses is really adorable and makes much more sense than mine. =) **

**Okay, this chapter is much longer than the previous ones, hope that makes up for the wait? I'm still not really sure where this story's going, but I got Lily in it! So it's going, at the very least. **

**Disclaimer: I disclaim. =) Luv ya, Jess!**

* * *

When James Potter sat down across from Lily, she had her wand out of her pocket before she even looked up at him. It was aimed at the center of his forehead as if a bull's eye marked the spot, she had a hex ready in the forefront of her mind, but when she saw his expression she set the wand back down on the table next to her books. "Potter?" She phrased his name as a question, not wanting to actually have to _speak _to him more than was necessary.

Because, really, she did need to speak to him now. He was a mess, even _she _could see it. Lily didn't know why Potter would come to her of all people to talk, but he had, and she couldn't turn him away with a clear conscience. The boy looked vaguely _haunted... _and if she was entirely honest, she was curious about what could cause Potter to become this disheveled.

"Hi, Evans. I was wondering if you could... help me with a problem?"

She crossed her arms and pretended to consider it. It was fun, after all, to watch him squirm. He had been asking her out in increasingly elaborate and embarrassing ways for the last five years; Lily considered this her just revenge. But after a few long moments even she took pity on him and she nodded. "This had better be good."

He ran a hand through his hair and she began to wonder distractedly why she wasn't as annoyed by that action as she normally was. "It isn't, really," he told her. "But I didn't know who else to ask. You're friends with Rem, after all."

She rolled her eyes. "Took you long enough to notice."

James looked insulted. "I always knew that!"

She laughed. "Sure you did. So, what has you so worried?"

James seemed to hesitate, which only annoyed her more. "James! You came to ask me for advice; how am I supposed to advise you if you won't give me anything to go on?" she reprimanded severely. Then she paused. "If this is another ploy at asking me out..." she let the end of the sentence hover dangerously not from lack of ideas, but to let his photographic memory clearly remembered the results of every other time she'd uttered that sentence.

"It's not!" he rushed to assure her. Her pride was _almost _injured by how quickly he denied it. _Almost. _"I just... this is really secret. Sirius would kill me if he knew I was telling you."

She wanted to lecture him again, but he looked genuinely guilty. "You know I can keep a secret, James," she promised.

He grinned. "That's the second time you've called me James, Lily- are we on a first name basis now?"

"N-no!" she stammered quickly. "I just..." she sighed. "Will you get on with the problem, then, Potter?"

He frowned. "You can call me James. I... I like it."

"Exactly my point," she told him snidely. "So get to yours."

He huffed before regaining his solemn demeanor. "It's just... Sirius... he's... kind of..."

She rolled her eyes. "Is it that hard for you to tell me he's gay?"

James' jaw dropped. "What?! I- you- how?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "I see everything. Most womanizers _are_ gay. They overcompensate. Sirius is one of the biggest womanizers of all time. I saw it coming."

"You really _are_ brilliant!" James eyes were shining with something Lily was not allowing herself to recognize, so she only shrugged.  
"I've been told so a fair few times, yes." She coughed uncomfortably as he only kept staring. "Back to the problem, James?"

"Right! Well, Sirius thinks he's in love..."

Lily leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand. "This is new. Is it possible? Can Sirius Black fall in love?"

"Well, he never said it that way, exactly. It's just..."

"One of those best friend things?" Lily suggested.

"Exactly! So, Sirius thinks he's in love... but..."

"With a boy?" Lily prompted. James nodded, but remained silent. "Who?"

".....Remus...."

Lily would have liked to have been shocked. Surprised, even, would have been nice. Instead, a lot of things that hadn't made sense before clicked.

Sirius always backed down from any crazy prank or argument when Remus told him to.

Sirius was viciously over-protective of Remus, even more so than James and Peter. Which said something, as Lily often said that James' only redeeming feature was his loyalty to his marauding buddies. Which, considering their mischief, didn't redeem him much.

Sirius was always looking for Remus, always hanging onto Remus, always listening to everything the other boy said. His world centered on the slight, book-wormy boy, and at times Lily had gotten vaguely jealous that he was always dragging her "study-buddy" away when she needed him.

"Oh." She nodded slowly. "It's possible."

James nodded. "Not as strange once you really think about it. Just the _rightness _has been throwing me off. But... much as I love him, and he's my best mate... Sirius isn't exactly known for his fidelity. I don't think Remus could take it if Sirius broke his heart. It'd break more than his heart, Lily; it'd break his mind and his spirit and Rem is..."

James didn't seem able to finish his rant, but Lily understood his meaning. All three of the boys were massively flawed, but they loved Remus. "I know. I get it. But... Remus isn't..." Realization dawned on her slowly. "Unless he is? Is that why you're worried?"

James nodded miserably. "I don't know what to do, Lils. I had a chance to try to push them together, but I just... ran away."

Lily saw to the heart of his fears and her heart actually twinged for the poor, thick-headed Gryffindor. "You aren't a coward, nor a traitor, James. You're just being careful and taking the entire situation into consideration. It's actually... quite... wise of you." She swallowed; praising him went against every ingrained nature she had. "There may be hope for you yet." He lit up, and she quickly went back to the main subject before she could feel for the loyal, puppy-like hope in his eyes. "I don't know Sirius at all, but you do. Do you think he would risk hurting Remus?"

James sighed. "No. Not at all. He _can't _hurt Rem- none of us can."

"Then maybe... let it work out on it's own? Unless they're both being thick. Then we might have to meddle. Just a little." She smiled. "Leave it- for now?"

He nodded, looking relieved. "Thank you, Lily. Really. You won't tell?"

"Promise," she agreed, glancing over at the fireside. "Looks like they're all wondering where you are, though... and why I'm not hexing you," she added wryly. "You'd best be off before they get their hopes up." He looked slightly put out, and she silently reminded herself that theirs weren't the only hopes she wanted to crush. Gently.

James could be a sweet boy. Who knew? That didn't mean she liked him.

But maybe, just maybe, they could be friends.

* * *

Peter gawked up at James as he dropped down to the floor by his friends. James ignored him and stole from the amassed pile of sweets that the boys had collected from the kitchen earlier that night. James glanced up briefly at his friends and saw Remus smiling a small, amused smile at Peter- who was still gawking at James. He could _see_ Remus counting in his head, seeing how long Peter could go without...

"You were talking to Lily Evans!" Peter exclaimed.

"Yeah mate," James agreed patiently.

Peter blushed at the abstractly condescending tone. "But... I mean... she didn't even hex you, James!"

James smiled a little bit more sincerely at Peter; the boy couldn't really help being a bit slow, after all. "Yeah, Pete, I know."

"How'd you manage it, Prongs?" Sirius piped up, finally looking up from his essay. Of the three, he had been the least interested in James' exchange with the fiery red-head.

"You don't seem surprised, Pads," James noted, slightly put out. This was his greatest accomplishment and Sirius hardly wanted to celebrate it with him at all! Regardless of the fact that James couldn't actually tell them much of the conversation... Maybe the lack of interest was for the best.

That didn't mean it didn't sting a little.

Sirius grinned at him almost reassuringly, seeming to see James' thoughts- or maybe just the hurt that had flashed through his eyes. "Well, you've tried everything, James," Sirius reasoned, "so you had to succeed in getting a chat with the girl eventually."

James nodded. "Yeah, guess so, mate," he agreed hesitantly.

He glanced over at Remus who inclined his head towards Peter. Peter, who was still staring at James in awed fascination. "What'd she say?"

"What?" James had been counting on Pete being stuck on the first wave of shock for a while, but he had no such luck. "Just... homework stuff."

Sirius' interest, which had perked up at Pete's very nearly insightful question, waned again. "That's all? Mate, that's downright boring."

James shrugged. "I love her, Pads. Just talking to her makes me happy, no matter how boring it is." James realized it was true- if they'd only been talking about homework, or boring magical theories that he and Sirius avidly refused to study or even discuss with Remus, he would still have been happier than he'd been all year.

Remus broke the small silence. "Have you tried telling her this?"

James blushed crimson. "Are you mad? That would only make me seem more stalker-ish than before!"

Remus smiled. "If you say so, Prongs. Just remember, in the end, that I was right." Refusing to explain further Remus excused himself, saying that he was tired and needed rest. The full moon, after all, was only a short ways away.

Pete soon followed suit; he knew that doing homework without Remus was useless as the two more wild marauders lacked the patience to explain any subject to him.

James took turns watching the fire and his best friend equally, unsure of what to say now. He had agreed not to meddle before, but now... well... he was wondering if a little nudge would hurt that much.

"You're burning a hole through my head with all that staring, Prongs," Sirius informed him without looking up from the essay. "What's on your mind?" He glanced up briefly to make sure James was paying attention to him before he glanced back at his parchment, eyes skimming the writing.

"Did you tell him yet?" James could see Sirius tense up, but the dark haired boy gave no other indication that he knew what James was talking about.  
"You'll have to be more specific than that, Jamesie," Sirius said, using the hated nickname. James was fairly sure that it was a distraction technique, so he let it go.

"Did you talk to Remus about what we discussed last week?" James specified. When Sirius hesitated to answer James threatened, "Sirius, if you insist on playing dumb I can- and will- relay our previous conversation."

"No, James, I didn't," Sirius told him, giving up with an exaggerated huff and a glare. "I meant to, but I just... it was easier not to, you know?"

James really didn't know, exactly- he'd always been forward about his feelings towards Lily (probably too forward, if he thought about it), but he nodded anyways. "You need to tell him, Pads. If you don't, I will- I stand by that."

Sirius looked truly miserable as he nodded. "I'll try to find a time to tell him tomorrow if you keep Pete out of the way. Deal?"

James nodded slowly. "That should work."

"Good," Sirius said, looking faintly relieved but also mildly put out. "Can I go back to my essay now?"

James shrugged. "If you want," he allowed, staring at the page with distaste. "What is it with you and homework?"

Sirius ignored him, scribbling more onto the parchment that was already a few inches longer than Professor Flitwick had asked for, or so James thought. "I'll call it a night then, mate. Don't stay up working too late, okay?"

Sirius nodded distractedly. "Night."

* * *

True to his word, James lured Peter away with the promise of sweets from the kitchens after lessons were out. Sirius and Remus were left alone in their dorm, but Sirius couldn't bring himself to talk. He stared up at the canopy of his bed moodily, angry at James for forcing him into this, angry at himself for being such a wuss, but mostly just angry because he was scared. No matter what Remus thought or said, it would be so much better if he heard if from Sirius himself and not from James. Sirius knew James better than to assume the previous threat was empty: he would tell, and he would thoroughly hate himself for it. Sirius didn't want to cause them all that kind of pain.

So why the heck couldn't he get up the nerve to just say this?

"You ok, Pads?" Remus asked from across the room. Sirius jolted up to a sitting position, startled.

He nodded slowly. "Yeah. I think."

"You think?" Remus questioned slowly. "What's on your mind?"

"Promise not to... I dunno... get mad if I tell you this?"

Remus nodded. "Of course, Siri."

Sirius took a breath before letting him out. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before- only James knows, though. It's just... I'm... kinda... gay."

* * *

**Yeah, I did end it there. Be thankful- it was the only way I could actually end it. This chapter has driven me crazy- the first part was written the same day as the last chapter, but the rest just came as slowly as molasses... Part two would not finish! I only just finished it tonight actually. =) **

**Review? They are my happiness. **


	6. Study Time!

Remus blinked. And blinked again. "That's… okay. Why did you think I'd be angry with you, Pads?"

Sirius shrugged, staring down at his bed's top sheet and picking at it. "Because I didn't tell you before?"

Remus shrugged. "I'm not mad at you, Sirius, I promise." Sirius looked up quickly then, a puppy look taking over his face hopefully.

Sirius beamed at him. "Okay, Moony!" He was back to acting like a child instead of being moody and actually acting his age.

Remus went back to his homework, but something nagged at his mind. "Hey Siri?"

"Huh?" Sirius was still watching him, which may have been weird, but it was _Sirius. _Things like that were just to be expected, even from the boy with the attention span of a butterfly.

"Just thought maybe I should say that I… might be too. Maybe."

Sirius tilted his head. "Might be…?"

Remus rolled his eyes. "You figured it out, silly mutt." He shut his books and stood up. "I'm off to the library, Pads. Try not to get too terribly bored in my absence. With a grin he left Sirius behind him, a still slightly confused look on his face. Some things just had a way of working out.

* * *

The conversation with the marauders the night previously had given James inspiration on _how _he could spend time with Lily and likely come away hex-free. "Lily?" he asked hesitantly, holding his charms book at chest level like a flimsy shield.

"Yes, Potter?" she responded after a moment, pulling her gaze from the book in front of her. Ever studying.

James shifted awkward on his feet. "Um, I was wondering if you'd help me study for that charms test we have tomorrow?"

Lily gave him a measuring look. "You can't ask one of your friends?"

"Not really," James said. He was getting the depressing suspicious that she'd say no, no matter how good his reason was. Which it wasn't, really. "Remus is busy helping Pete and Sirius isn't really the studying type."

"Nor are you, if memory serves," she said, stilling considering. "Why start now?"

James shrugged. "I just really want to do well. The material's harder and I don't want my grades to slip. I might as well start learning how to study before even harder testing comes along."

Lily shook her head, but then she offered him what passed for a smile. It was enough of a smile that he lit up inside hopefully… "Fine. I will help you study, but just this once. You'll find it isn't incredibly hard to do on your own."

"Thank you, Lily!" James checked the urge to hug her, or kiss her, and instead dropped down next to her and opened his book to the correct chapter. They spent hours going through the material and James never once got bored. Watching Lily explain and go from serious to joking to exasperated to annoyed with him and his attention span was fun, and he had a feeling he was actually learning more of the subject than he had before. In what felt like minutes the common room was nearly empty. Lily yawned and James followed suit, shutting his book. "It's late," he said mournfully. "I'd better get to sleep. There's a game this weekend, so Quiddich training will take up more of my time." He sighed. While James loved the sport, he sometimes didn't love just how tiring it could get. Not that the blood and bruises weren't well worth winning in the end.

"Good luck, then, James," Lily told him, sounding sincere. "Goodnight."

"'Night, Lily." James repeated and watched as she gathered her books and headed for the stairs.

As James headed back up to his own dorm he realized that he'd just spent an entire afternoon with Lily and they hadn't argued a single time. It had been… fun.

If possible, James now loved Lily Evans even more.

* * *

"I told him," Sirius said as he dropped down next to James at breakfast.

"Told who what?" James asked, confused, his mind still stuck on Lily.  
"Congrats, mate," Sirius said, exasperated. "You're officially even more whipped than you were before. On the subject of _my _life, however, I told Rem. So now you don't have to keep threatening to tell him yourself, okay?"

"Oh!" James felt like an idiot for forgetting, especially after all the effort he'd gone to keeping Pete away from the dorms for as long as possible last night before he'd gotten up the courage to carry out his genius plan to win a few precious hours of Lily's time. "Good job, Pads," he said, never tearing his eyes away from Lily.

"You're hopeless," Sirius muttered, but moments later he forgot that as he smiled at Remus, who was just taking his seat across from them. "Morning!" he chirped out cheerfully.

"You're sunny this morning, Padfoot," James heard Remus comment, and he had to look away and back to his best friends. After all, if he didn't keep tabs on them, how could he be sure they wouldn't botch things up? Lily had said not to meddle much, but she'd given just that little bit of leeway, and James would use it.

After all, he was finally succeeding at somewhat winning over Lily. How much harder could matchmaking Sirius and Remus be?

* * *

**So sorry this took so long; I can't believe it took my dad in the hospital for me to find time! But I have, and this update is here, even if it isn't particularly amazing. I'm getting back into the flow of things here, and I promise to try to update much sooner than my last time! =) Reviews are love, and they do guilt me into updating soon, generally. ~Lynx**


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